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May 17
Events *1521 - Edward Stafford, is executed for treason. *1590 - Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland. *1642 - Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal. *1673 - Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River. *1775 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress bans trade with Canada. *1792 - The New York Stock Exchange is formed. *1809 - Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire. *1814 - Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian. * 1814 - The Constitution of Norway is signed and the Danish Crown Prince Christian Frederik is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly. *1849 - A fire threatens to burn St. Louis, to the ground. *1860 - German football club TSV 1860 München is founded *1863 - Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, her first book in the Galician language. *1865 - The International Telegraph Union (the later International Telecommunication Union) is established. *1875 - Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby. *1895 - The first Omonoia station of the Athens metro is inaugurated in Greece. *1900 - Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking. *1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer. *1915 - The last British Liberal Party government (Herbert Henry Asquith) falls. *1918 - Almost the entire leadership of Sinn Féin are arrested. *1919 - Committee of One Thousand forms to oppose Winnipeg General Strike. *1919 - War Department orders use of National Star Insignia on all airplanes. *1927 - U.S. Army aviation pioneer, Major Harold Geiger, died in the crash of his Airco DH.4 de Havilland plane at Olmstead Field, Pennsylvania *1933 - Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway. *1940 - World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium. * 1940 - World War II: The old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland. *1943 - The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC. * 1943 - World War II: The Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams. *1954 - The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. * 1963 - Bruno Sammartino defeats Nature Boy Buddy Rogers in 48 seconds in Madison Square Garden for the WWWF Heavyweight Title. It begins the longest heavyweight championship reign in pro wrestling history. *1967 - Six-Day War: President Abdul Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt. *1969 - Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure. *1970 - Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean. *1973 - Watergate scandal: Hearings begin in the United States Senate and are televised. *1974 - Police in Los Angeles, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall. * 1974 - Thirty-three people are killed by terrorist bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland. *1980 - General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations. * 1980 - Peru: Terrorist group Shining Path attacked a voting poll in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho starting the Internal conflict in Peru. *1983 - Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. *1984 - Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend," sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture. *1987 - An Iraqi fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew. *1992 - In Thailand, the so-called Black May begins. Thai police and protestors start attacking one another. By midnight, the current Thai government declares a state of emergency, and military troops open fire. *1994 - Malawi holds its first multiparty elections. *1995 - After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac takes office as President of France. *1997 - Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. *1998 - David Wells of the New York Yankees pitches the 15th perfect game in baseball history against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. *1999 - Ehud Barak is elected prime minister of Israel. *2000 - Philippines. Explosion rocks Glorietta 2 injuring 13 persons, mostly teenagers. According to local authorities, the homemade bomb was placed in front of a toilet beside a video arcade. *2004 - Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage *2006 - The aircraft carrier [[Wikipedia:USS Oriskany (CV-34)|USS Oriskany]] sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to be an artificial reef *2007 - Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953. Births *1155 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225) *1443 - Edmund, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England *1551 - Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and occultist (d. 1601) *1628 - Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria, Regent of the Tyrol (d. 1662) *1682 - Bartholomew Roberts, AKA Black Bart, notorious Welsh pirate (d. 1722) *1706 - Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780) *1718 - Robert Darcy, English diplomat and politician (d. 1778) *1743 - Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (d. 1784) *1749 - Edward Jenner, English medical researcher (d. 1823) *1758 - John St Aubyn, British fossil collector (d. 1839) *1768 - Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales (d. 1821) * 1768 - Henry Paget, English general (d. 1854) *1794 - Anna Brownell Jameson, British writer (d. 1860) *1821 - Sebastian Kneipp, German naturopathist (d. 1897) *1836 - Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian chess player (d. 1900) * 1836 - Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet (d. 1923) *1844 - Julius Wellhausen, German biblical scholar (d. 1918) *1866 - Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925) *1868 - Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturer (d. 1920) *1873 - Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (d. 1935) * 1873 - Dorothy Richardson, English writer (d. 1957) *1879 - Simon Petlyura, Ukrainian independence fighter (d. 1926) *1886 - Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941) *1888 - Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965) *1891 - Princess Alexandra (d. 1959) *1897 - Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981) *1898 - Alfred Joseph Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992) *1900 - Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian Muslim cleric (d. 1989) *1901 - Werner Egk, German composer (d. 1983) *1903 - Cool Papa Bell, baseball player (d. 1991) *1904 - Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976) *1906 - Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (d. 1989) *1911 - Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-born supermodel (d. 1992) * 1911 - Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998) *1913 - Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver (d. 2007) *1918 - Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005) *1919 - Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer and actor (d. 2007) * 1919 - Merle Miller, American biographer (d. 1986) *1921 - Dennis Brain, English French horn player (d. 1957) * 1921 - Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (d. 1998) *1931 - Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader (d. 1997) *1935 - Dennis Potter, English writer (d. 1994) *1936 - Dennis Hopper, American actor and director *1937 - Hazel R. O'Leary, United States Secretary of Energy *1938 - Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996) *1939 - Gary Paulsen, American author *1940 - Alan Kay, American computer scientist *1941 - David Cope, American composer and author *1942 - Taj Mahal, American musician *1943 - Johnny Warren, Australian Footballer (d. 2004) *1943 - Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (d. 2005) *1945 - Tony Roche, Australian tennis player *1946 - Udo Lindenberg, German musician * 1946 - F. Paul Wilson, American novelist *1948 - Dick Gaughan, Scottish musician, singer and songwriter *1949 - Bill Bruford, English musician (Yes) *1950 - Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician *1952 - Howard Hampton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Ontario *1955 - Bill Paxton, American actor and film director *1956 - Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer * 1956 - Bob Saget, American actor * 1956 - Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist *1957 - Pascual Pérez, Major league pitcher *1958 - Paul Di'Anno, English singer (Iron Maiden) *1959 - Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach * 1959 - Jim Nantz, American broadcaster *1960 - Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter *1961 - Enya, Irish singer and songwriter *1962 - Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and comedian * 1962 - Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish writer *1963 - Page McConnell, American musician and songwriter (Phish) *1964 - Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999) *1965 - Richard Baumhammers, American spree killer * 1965 - Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails) *1969 - Thom Filicia, American television personality * 1969 - Alan Doyle, Canadian musician (Great Big Sea) *1970 - Jordan Knight, American singer (New Kids on the Block) * 1970 - Angelica Agurbash, Belarusian singer, actress and model * 1970 - Matt Lindland, American mixed martial arts fighter *1971 - Shaun Hart, Australian footballer * 1971 - Princess Máxima of the Netherlands *1973 - Josh Homme, American musician and songwriter * 1973 - Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005) * 1973 - Sasha Alexander, American television actress * 1973 - Steve Barakatt, Canadian composer *1974 - Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs) * 1974 - Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player * 1974 - Eddie Lewis, American football (soccer) player * 1974 - Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor *1975 - Cheick Kongo, French martial artist * 1975 - Jonti Picking, British cartoonist * 1975 - Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer * 1975 - Kostas Sommer, Greek actor * 1975 - Alex Wright, German professional wrestler *1976 - José Guillén, Dominican baseball player * 1976 - Lee-Hom Wang, American-born Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter, and composer *1978 - Paddy Kenny, Irish goalkeeper * 1978 - Carlos Pena, Dominican baseball player *1979 - Wayne Thomas, English footballer *1980 - Davor Džalto, Serbian art historian *1981 - Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist * 1981 - R.J. Helton, American Idol finalist * 1981 - Shiri Maimon, Israeli singer * 1981 - Leon Osman, English footballer * 1981 - Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer *1982 - Tony Parker, French-American basketball player *1983 - Channing Frye, American basketball player * 1983 - Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer *1984 - Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player * 1984 - Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer *1985 - Dan Wilson, American professional Motocross and Arenacross rider *1986 - Tahj Mowry, American actor *1988 - Nikki Reed, American actress Deaths *1189 - Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159) *1336 - Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288) *1365 - Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328) *1395 - Constantine Dragas, Serbian ruler of a semi-independent realm *1464 - Thomas de Ros, English politician (executed) (b. 1427) *1510 - Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445) *1521 - Edward Stafford, English politician (b. 1478) *1536 - George Boleyn, English diplomat *1575 - Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1504) *1626 - Juan Pujol, Catalan composer (b. 1570) *1643 - Giovanni Picchi, Italian composer *1727 - Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684) *1729 - Samuel Clarke, English philosopher (b. 1675) *1765 - Alexis Claude Clairault, French mathematician (b. 1713) *1797 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (b. 1719) *1801 - William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710) *1809 - Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722) *1822 - Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, French-Russian statesman (b. 1766) *1829 - John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745) *1838 - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French diplomat (b. 1754) * 1838 - René Caillé, French explorer (b. 1799) *1839 - Archibald Alison, Scottish author (b. 1757) *1868 - Isami Kondo, Shinsengumi Commander (b. 1834) *1875 - John C. Breckinridge, Vice President of the United States (b. 1821) *1879 - Asa Packer, railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh Valley Railroad (b. 1805) *1886 - John Deere, American blacksmith and manufacturer (b. 1804) *1888 - Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820) *1916 - Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (b. 1862) *1917 - Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829) *1919 - Guido von List, German occult author (b. 1848) *1927 - Major Harold Geiger, U.S. Army aviation pioneer (b. 1884) *1935 - Paul Dukas, French composer (b. 1865) *1936 - Panagis Tsaldaris, twice Greek prime minister (b. 1868) *1938 - Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and zionist (b. 1877) *1947 - George William Forbes, Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869) *1963 - John Wilce, physician and former head football coach at the Ohio State University (b. 1888) *1974 - Ernest Nash, German born archaeologist (b. 1898) *1985 - Abe Burrows, songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910) *1987 - Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898) *1992 - Lawrence Welk, American musician (b. 1903) *1995 - Hector "Toe" Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and NHL coach (b. 1912) *1996 - Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (b. 1966) * 1996 - Scott Brayton, American race car driver (b. 1959) *1999 - Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian record producer and musician (b. 1949) *2000 - Donald Coggan, 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909) *2001 - Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist and physician (b. 1908) *2002 - Dave Berg, American cartoonist (b. 1920) * 2002 - Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (b. 1940) * 2002 - Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (b. 1962) * 2002 - Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927) *2003 - Frank "Pop" Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (b. 1916) *2004 - Jørgen Nash, Danish artist (b. 1920) * 2004 - Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920) * 2004 - Ezzedine Salim, leader of Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943) *2005 - Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934) *2006 - Cy Feuer, American playwright (b. 1911) * 2006 - Eric Forth, British Member of Parliament (b. 1944) * 2006 - Captain Nichola Goddard, Canadian soldier (b. 1980) *2007 - Lloyd Alexander, author (b. 1924) Holidays and observances *''Día das Letras Galegas'' (Galician Literature Day) — holiday in Galicia, honouring the Galician language. *Norwegian Constitution Day or Syttende Mai. *Bahá'í Faith — Feast of 'Azaamat (Grandeur) — First day of the fourth month of the Bahá'í Calendar. *International Day Against Homophobia aka IDAHO. *Ascension in 2007 * World Telecommunication Day Liturgical Feast days Saints in the Roman Catholic Church: * Saint Adrian of Alexandria * Saint Dietmar * Saint Montanus * Saint Paschal Baylon or Pascal Baylon * Saint Pamphamer * Saint Pamphalon * Saint Solochon * Saint Victor External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:May